Air Force Financial Services Center – Working through the challenges

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Edward Horsch
  • Chief, Travel Division, Air Force Financial Services Center
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Last fall, Financial Management implemented its largest change in its more than 60 year history with the establishment of Air Force Financial Services Center at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.

Back shop military pay and travel processes for your installation migrated to the AFFSC with the goal of saving manpower while streamlining processes. The growing pains resulting from the combination of new information technology systems, new processes and a new center have been felt by some FM customers. AFFSC is keenly aware of the impact that long processing time has on Airmen and how disruptive it can be for Airmen and their chain of command.

Your FM community remains committed to providing timely, accurate and reliable service and we are working hard to resolve the issues that have impacted customers. The time it took to process transactions has been significantly reduced, and we are making adjustments that will further reduce processing time and reduce lost or misplaced vouchers. This article provides information on why customers may have noticed changes to their service, an update on current processing times, steps that Airmen can take to ensure their transactions are processed quickly and the resolution process for issues that arise.

When the AFFSC opened its doors in October 2007 the expectation was that the transition of back-office financial transactions would have no noticeable effect on our customers. Although the men and women at all levels of FM worked to achieve this goal, the combination of information technology system challenges and the difficulty in standardizing processes that had been done somewhat differently across all MAJCOMs led to several challenges the FM career field has had to overcome. Airmen at the AFFSC remain committed to providing world-class service and will continue to work hard to conquer these challenges.

The current processing time for a TDY or PCS voucher is 10 to 15 days. This count begins when the customer submits the voucher to the local finance office and ends when the money is deposited in their account. Currently, processing time for military pay documents is less than 5 days from the time the document is submitted until it is processed. These processing times are not what most Airmen are accustomed to, and we are implementing several technology and process fixes that are designed to reduce these times further, especially the voucher processing time.

In addition to longer processing times, there have been occasions when documents have been lost. Improvements to the new document management IT system and its accompanying processes, that will be implemented in the near term, should virtually eliminate cases of lost documents. However, if in the event that an Airman's document has been lost, or if an Airman's unique circumstances require special attention it is asked that your members use the following process for resolving these issues.

If a claim has not been paid within 15 days for a military pay document or travel voucher, the first stop should be the local finance office. The local finance office can place your document in a priority folder which will get it to the front of the queue. If this does not promptly resolve the issue, work within the local chain of command to ensure payment is receive. If your transaction has not been processed within 15 days, do not wait to contact the local financial services office. Early notification of a delay is the best measure to ensure a claim is being processed.

Airmen can also take actions to prevent delays in payments by following these basic rules:

-- Utilize existing automated systems such as Defense Travel System, myPay and LeaveWeb for transactions

-- Remember to claim all reimbursable expenses and annotate proper modes of transportation

-- Have a complete set of orders when filing a voucher

-- Have the proper signatures on a travel voucher

-- Indicate the amount needed to be disbursed to Government Travel Card.

-- The Unit Agency Program Coordinator is the first place to go for GTC issues - not the AFFSC or local finance office.

-- Write clearly and legibly so documents can be easily read

At present, the AFFSC rejects 10 to 15 percent of documents because of incorrect or missing basic information. This can add days and sometimes weeks to the processing time. Doing a quality check before you take the documents to your local finance office will help expedite your payment.

Although significant improvements have been made in the last few months the AFFSC is still adjusting. The AFFSC remains committed to excellence and will continue to reduce transaction processing times, and deliver the service that our customers expect and deserve. The affects on customers are understood and each member's patience and assistance is appreciated as FM operations are transformed.